Magazine for feeding flat carton blanks



Original Filed March so, 1948 March 11, 1958 c. z. MONROE ET AL2,826,411

MAGAZINE FOR FEEDING FLAT CARTON BLANKS s Sheets-Sheet 1 Charles 2.q'fldnvoe Dwight German v March 1958 c. z. MONROE ET AL 2,826,411

MAGAZINE FOR FEEDING FLAT CARTON BLANKS Original Filed March 30, 1948 6Sheets-Sheet 2 Egg,- 2

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MAGAZINE FOR FEEDING FLAT CARTON BLANKS Original Filed March 30, 1948 6Sheets-Sheet 3 CH'TVORNEYJ March 11, 1958 c. z. MONROE ET AL 2,3

MAGAZINE FOR FEEDING FLAT CARTON BLANKS Original Filed March 30, 1948 6Sheets-Sheet 4 i 4 SZ Charles 2. monroe Dwxght German March 11, 1958 c.z. MONROE ET AL 2,

MAGAZINE FOR FEEDING FLAT CARTON BLANKS Original Filed March 30, 1948 6Sheets-Sheet 5 WQW' hqwlas ZQ'H m-om DI-LMghT German TOW-NEW Unite StatsMAGAZINE FOR FEEDING FLAT CARTON BLANKS Charles Z. Monroe, Detroit,Mich, and Dwight German,

Los Angeles, Calif., assignors to Ex-Cell-O (Iorporation, Detroit, Mich,a corporation of Michigan Original application March 30, 1948, SerialNo. 18,034, now Patent No. 2,665,044, dated January 5, 1954. Di vidsedand this application July 15, 1953, Serial No. 36 ,134

2 Claims. (Cl. 271-62) The present invention relates to a magazine orfeeder rack for holding a stack of flat carton blanks, and moreparticularly to a magazine adapted to be embodied in a machine forpackaging fluent material, such as ice cream. This application is adivision of our co-pending application Ser. No. 18,034 filed March 30,1948 (now Patent No. 2,665,044) and entitled Machine for PackagingFluent Material.

An object of the invention is to provide a magazine which is so arrangedthat additional cartons may be inserted into the magazine withoutdisturbing the normal operation of the machine.

A further object is to provide a magazine having a carton pressingpusher element provided with movable carton engaging fingers adapted tobe cammed out of the way when additional cartons are inserted into themagazine.

It is another object of the invention to provide a magazine having amovable element adapted to support the weight of the cartons in themagazine and to move forwardly along with the cartons as they are fedthrough the magazine.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a magazine having amovable carton compacting pusher element urged forwardly by a flexibletension element which also serves as a movable support for the stack ofcartons in the magazine.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent inthe course of the following description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a packaging machine which includes anexemplary feeder magazine constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the machine of Fig. 1, taken from the rearend of the magazine.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken generally in theplane of a line 4-4 in Fig. l, and showing the front end of themagazine.

Fig. 5 is a front end view of a pusher carriage employed in themagazine, the carton stack being indicated in dot-dash outline.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view detailing anadjusting means associated with the feeder magazine, the view beingtaken from the plane of the line 6--6 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged broken vertical sectional view of the front end ofthe magazine and associated components, taken as indicated by a brokenline 7-7 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken in the plane of aline 8-8 in Fig. 7.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications andalternative constructions, a preferred embodiment has been shown in thedrawings and will be herein described in some detail, but it is to beunderstood that there is no intention to limit the invention to thespecific form disclosed, the intention being, on the contrary, to

2,826,4ll Patented Mar. 11, 1958 ice cover all equivalents,modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spiritand scope of the inven= tion as expressed in the appended claims.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the inve1i= tion is thereexemplified in a magazine or feeder rack 60 illustrated in connectionwith a packaging machine adapted in this instance to receive ice creamin semi-fluent form from a continuous freezer and to pack the same intopaper cartons for retail distribution. The machine 50 is organized upona caster-supported frame structure or table 51 having an enclosure whichhouses a main drive motor M and a pump driving motor PM, together withassociated power transmitting mechanisms. The magazine 60 forms a partof a carton feeding and transfer mechanism 53 which is adapted topresent folded or knocked-down carton blanks C to a conveyor 54, theblanks being erected into open-ended tubular form as an incident to suchtransfer. Included in the mechanism 53 is a peeler wheel 92 adapted torelease the cartons, one by one, from the magazine 60, and a transferturret 61 for transferring the released cartons from the magazine to theconveyor 54. To support the mechanism 53, the table 51 is provided witha top 52.

Operatively associated with the conveyor .54 and also mounted on thetable top 52 are carton fiap closing devices 55 and 56, together with acarton filler head assembly 58. All of the carton handling devices justmentioned are driven in timed relation from the motor M through suitablegearing. With the foregoing arrangement, each erected carton blank ismoved into engagement with bottom flap closure means including alatching device 55, thence passing under the filler head assembly 58where it receives a measured quantity of ice cream. The filled carton isthereupon moved into engagement with the top flap closure meansincluding a second latching device 56 from which it is transferred to adischarge chute 59. In actual operation, the machine 50 fills cartonswith remarkable speed and discharges them in a constant procession at arate which is proportional to the discharge rate of the continuousfreezer with which the machine is associated.

The present invention is not concerned particularly with details of theconveyor 54, the peeler wheel 92, the transfer turret 61, the cartonflap closing devices 55 and 56 or the tiller head assembly 58, and hencethese components of the packaging machine 50 will not be described indetail in this application. For a complete disclosure of the packagingmachine 50, reference may be had to our original parent application Ser.No. 18,034, filed March 30, 1948 (now Patent No. 2,665,044). In thisoriginal application, the filler head assembly is claimed as a distinctinvention. The arrangement of the peeler wheel and the transfer turretis claimed as a distinct invention in our co-pending application Ser.No. 255,074 filed November 6, 1951 (now Patent No. 2,747,473), as adivision of our original application Ser. No. 18,034, and entitledFeeding and Erecting Mechanism for Carton Blanks. Reference may also behad to our co-pending application Ser. No. 368,136 filed July 15, 1953,now Patent No. 2,780,900, and entitled Closure Flap ManipulatingMechanism for Carton Filling Machine, in which certain of the means formanipulating the closure flaps are claimed as a distinct invention.

It will be noted upon reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 4 that the magazine orfeeder rack 60 comprises an upstanding yoke-shaped bracket 62 supportedupon the table top 52in spaced apart relationship with a pair ofbrackets 64, 65 also fixed to the table top. Spanning the brackets 62and 64, and relatively slidable with respect thereto, are two verticallyspaced guide rods 66, 68. Spanning the brackets 62 and 65, but rigidlyfixed thereto, is another guide rod 69. In addition to the latter, thebracket 65 also carries a relatively short guide rod 70 disposed invertically spaced relationship with the rod 69. The cartons C arerectangular in cross section when erected, but initially are folded flator collapsed andare adapted to be stacked horizontally in the magazine60 with their folded vertical edges held in close alinement by the rods66, 68, 69 and 70, so as to facilitate the removal of the cartons fromthe magazine.

Each of the cartons C is provided with four lower closure flaps A, B, Xand Y, together with an identical set of upper closure flaps AA, BB, XXand Y Y.

For the purpose of positioning the foremost carton blank C in themagazine 60, the guide rods 66 and 68 are provided with a pair of stoplugs 71, 72 (Figs. 4 and 6) screwed or otherwise rigidly fastened to theends of the rods adjacent the transferturret 61. in order to render thecarton stack adjustable relative to the turret 61-, the position of thestop lugs 71 and 72 with respect to the brackets 62 and 64 can bealtered by means of an adjusting bracket 74 which is pinned or otherwisesecured to the rods 66 and 68. The bracket 74, in turn, can bepositioned relative to the bracket 62 by means of a suitably threadedadjusting stud 75 having a hand knob 76 unitary therewith. Any lostmotion between the stud 75 and the bracket 74 is taken up by means of acoil compression spring 78 interposed between the brackets 62 and 74.

Provision is made for supporting the weight of the carton blanks Cstacked in the magazine 60 upon a memher which has no motion relative tothe blanks as the latter are fed along the magazine. This isaccomplished in the present instance by the use of a flexible tensionelement in the form of acable 79 anchored to the table top 51 as at 80(Fig. 7) and running longitudinally under the magazine 60 to areciprocable pusher carriage 81. As shown in the drawings, the magazine601's open at the bottom, and the cable 79 forms the floor thereof tosupport the carton blanks. As indicated in the drawings, the cable 79 isarranged as an elongated loop running downwardly from the anchorage 80around a floating pulley 82 and thence upwardly to a guide pulley $4 andfinally horizontally to a semi-circular anchor post 85 mounted on thepusher carriage 81, the cable being looped around the post. To obtainsuificient tension in the cable 79 to offset theweight of the cartons inthe magazine, and to urge the pusher carriage 81 against the rear end ofthe carton staclga relativelyheavyweight (not shown) is su'spendedfromthe floating 'p'ulley "82 by means of a yoke '86 (Fig. 7). In thisinstance, the lower edges of the closure fiaps B and X rest upon thecable 79. As the carton blanks are individually removed from the frontof the stack, the pusher carriage til advances under the biasinginfluence of the weight on the pulley 82, the cable 79 moving with thecarton stack so that there is no frictional sliding between the two.

The pusher carriage 81, which is adapted to maintain the stack of cartonblanks in compression against the stop lugs 71, 72 and the peeler wheel92, comprises a generally U-shaped member equipped with supportingrollers '88 adapted to run in a pair of spaced apart parallel guiderails 89 (Figs. 4 and The tension in the cable 79 urges the pushercarriage 81 toward the transfer turret 6i and, as the blanks are fedfrom the magazine 69, such tension maintains the carriage in constantabutment with the la'ttermost carton blank in the stack. j

Frovision is made for adding to'the supply of carton blanks in themagazine 60 without disturbing the operation of the machine in any way.This is achieved in the present instance by equipping the carriage 81with a plurality of pusherfingers 90 mounted on pivots and These fingers90 are normally urged inwardly of the carriage by means of suitablebiasing springs 9612, but the fingers are movable outwardly to aposition clear of the stack of cartons C. Formed On each finger 9t) is aforwardly facing abutment surface 900 which is engageable with the rearend of the stack. To provide for insertion of additional cartons, eachfinger is formed with a rearwardly facing, outwardly and rearwardlyslanting cam surface 90d. Thus, if it be desired to add carton blanks tothe stack in the magazine, it is only necessary for the operator toplace the additional blanks inside the pusher carriage 81 and to pushthem forwardly against the rearmost. blank in the magazine. This willcam the fingers 9i) outwardly. While holding the additional blanks inplace, the operator may grasp a handle 91 and move the carriage 81rearwardly. The cam surfaces 90d on the fingers 90 will slide along theedges 'of the additional blanks, and, after'passing the rearmost of theadditional blanks, will spring inwardly for abutting engagement with therearmost blank.

At a point opposite from the stop lugs 71 and 72, the vertical side edgeof the foremost carton blank C in the stack bears against one face ofthe peeler wheel 92 (Figs. 2, 4,7 and 8) which is adapted to effect apositive separation between the foremost carton blank and the remainingblanks in the magazine 60. The peeler wheel 92 is carried on a driveshaft 93 journaled in the brackets 65 for rotation on an axissubstantially parallel to that of the magazine 60. Mounted on the peelerwheel 92 is a knife plate 98 adapted to wedge between the foremostcarton blank C and the remainder of the stack, as the wheel 92 isrotated. After thus being separated by the knife 98, the foremost cartonis moved forwardly by means of a deep single helical thread 96which-cuts completely across the outer periphery of the wheel 92. Thetransfer turret 61 then slides the separated carton laterally edgewiseout from under the stop lugs 71 and 72, and carries the carton to theconveyor 54. Further details of the transfer turret 61 and the peelerwheel 92 are disclosed and claimed in our copending application Ser. No;255,074 filed November 6, 1951 (now Patent No. 2,747,473).

We claim as our invention:

1. In a magazine for feeding flat carton blanks, the combinationcomprising lateral guide members'open at the bottom for receiving astack of the carton blanks and alining the edges vertically thereof, anopen pusher carriage movable longitudinally of the guide members andhaving spaced vertical arms embracing the blank stack, movable fingerson said arms biased inwardly and having forwardly facing abutmentsurfaces for engaging the rearmost carton in the stack, a flexibletension member connected to said pusher carriage and extending forwardlytherefrom between said guide members to form a movable fioortherebetween, a pulley mounted adjacent the front end of the magazine,said tension member being trained downwardly 'over said pulley, meansfor applying tension to the front end of saidtension member so that thelatter exerts a biasing force on said carriage causing said fingers tourge the blank stack in a forward direction and supports the weight ofthe carton blanks in said magazine without moving relative to the blanksas they are fed forwardly, said fingers having rearwardly facing camsurfaces slanting outwardly and forwardly so as to be carnmed outwardlyby relative forward movement of additional carton blanks through saidcarriage, and means for manuallyretracting said carriage so that saidfingers cam past additional carton blanks placed rearwardly of saidcarriage in said magazine and then snap inwardly for engagement with therearmost of the additional 5 a plurality of fingers pivoted on said armsand biased inwardly for engagement with the rear-most blank in thestack, a pair of laterally spaced cable elements connected to saidpusher carriage and extending forwardly therefrom between and beneathsaid lateral guiding means to form a movable floor for supporting thecarton stack, a pulley adjacent the forward end of said magazine fortraining said cable elements downwardly, and a weight connected to thefront ends of said cable elements for tensioning said cable elements soas to urge said pusher carriage fingers forwardly against the rear endof the stack, and support the carton blanks without movement relativethereto as the pusher carriage advances during feeding, each of saidfingers having a rearwardly facing cam surface for deflection of thesame outwardly as blanks are moved relatively forwardly through saidcar- 6 riage, whereby additional cartons may be placed in the magazinerearwardly of said carriage and the latter retracted against the bias ofsaid weight, the fingers being deflected and then snapping intoengagement with the rearmost of the additional blanks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

